Journey to Durmstrang
by NinjaDevil2000
Summary: What happens when Hogwarts participates in a Interschool Potions Competition? Lily Luna Potter competes but will she make her school proud? This was written for the International Wizarding School Competition.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All characters, places, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.

This was written for the International Wizarding School Competition.

School: Mahoutokoro

Year 2

Theme: Durmstrang

Main Prompt - 7 - Event - Interschool Potions Competition

Additional Prompt - 20 - Object - Sneakoscope

Word count: 3, 816

Author's note: I wrote this in four days. It was insane. I hope you all enoy and please review. It makes my day, seeing what you guys think about my stories.

One morning in May, there was a large group of people clustered around the Common Room's notice board. Lily Potter was bobbing up and down with excitement in the middle of the crowd, her flaming red hair bouncing with her. She was talking to her older brother, James. Albus, who had just woken up, made his way over to them.

"Al! Al! Look at this!" Lily said loudly. A few people stared at her and some laughed.

"Calm down, Lils!" said James, but not too harshly.

"What is it?" asked Al, craning his neck to see over the hoard of people in front of the notice. He could only make out the words, **The Interschool Potions Competition will be held -** before he and Lily were pulled away by James and led down to breakfast.

Usually the three siblings sat apart, sitting with friends or family, but today they sat together. The room was much louder than usual and instead of the clanging of forks and spoons echoing around the room, inquisitive voices and remarks, regarding Potions, sounded all around them.

"So what is this Potions competition about?" asked Al. "I couldn't finish reading it before you dragged me off," Al continued, glancing at his brother who was pouring cereal into a bowl.

"Well, it's between us and Dur-" Lily began, but she was interrupted by the voice of their headmistress, Minerva McGonagall.

"Here you go, Al. I bet Professor M is about to tell you what's happening," remarked James, who looked slightly downcast, as his cereal bowl had just vanished, along with the rest of the food. As the Hall silenced, people looked excitedly up at Professor McGonagall and she began to speak.

"As I'm sure some of you have noticed, there will be a potions competition happening next month between the students of Hogwarts and the students of Durmstrang. Students from every level will be allowed to enter and three from each will be chosen, as will three from every level in Durmstrang. If you wish to enter, be sure tell one of your professors and they will take care of the entries. Also," Professor McGonagall continued, clearing her throat slightly, "be sure to enter quickly because students will be chosen at the end of next week. You will be chosen based upon your grades and if you have any questions you may ask one of your professors. Now, off to class." She waved her hands in a shooing manner and the students began to disperse, the other teachers having left already to prepare for their classes.

James, Al, and Lily exchanged goodbyes and proceeded to their first classes. James went to Care of Magical Creatures, being taught by Rubeus Hagrid, Al had Arithmancy, which he enjoyed immensely thanks to his Aunt Hermione, and Lily had Transfiguration, which she wasn't particularly excited for, but mainly because she was excited about the competition. As Lily and her fellow first years piled in to the Transfiguration classroom and unloaded their books, they began speaking about the competition again. Lily, who sat alone at the front of the class, raised her hand as soon as Professor Tippet entered the classroom.

"Yes, Miss Potter?" asked Professor Tippet, in her slightly high-pitched voice, as she seated herself behind her desk.

"I want to enter," Lily said quickly.

"Yes, I assumed you would." Professor Tippet looked down and shuffled some papers. She procured a sheet of plain parchment and began writing.

"Does anybody else here wish to enter?" asked Professor Tippet. A couple children raised their hands hesitantly but then put them back down again.

"Very well then," she said, marking her parchment then looking up again. "Now, onto the lesson. Today, we will be continuing on turning creatures into matchboxes." During the class, Professor Tippet perused around the room, occasionally giving them tips on wand movement or spell pronunciation, particularly to Lily, who was too preoccupied with thoughts about the competition.

After Transfiguration and Charms, Lily went back to the Great Hall to meet her brothers. As she walked in, she saw James talking to their cousin and his partner-in-crime, Fred. They were the current troublemakers of the school and many teachers called them 'the second Fred-and-George'. She ran over to them and told them that she had entered, and then ran to where Al was sitting with one of their other cousins, Louis.

"Al! I entered! Do you think they'll pick me? Do you think they might?" Lily asked excitedly and rapidly.

"Hey, I bet they will. You're so talented with potions and all that kind of stuff. Much more than I am. I can't make heads or tails of all the ingredients and measurements and things. The only reason I haven't flunked out is because Rose helps me." Louis chuckled.

"Aw, Al," Lily cooed, "don't feel bad. Dad said he wasn't very good at it either. He said the only reason he and Uncle Ron made it, was because Aunt Hermione helped them a lot." Albus chuckled and Lily smiled.

The week passed and no word reached Lily on whether or not she had been chosen. She was nervous and every day the feeling intensified. She knew that she had two days left until the deadline Professor McGonagall had set, but she had still hoped she might hear back sooner than that.

After lunch, she had a free period and so walked up to the owlery, parchment and quill in hand, to send her parents a letter.

 _Dear Mum and Dad,_ she wrote, _James, Al, and I are all well. I don't know if you've heard but there is going to be a interschool potions competition between Hogwarts and Durmstrang. I entered and I can't wait to find out if I was chosen. Rose entered as well and she hasn't found out either. I'm sort of nervous but there are still two days until Professor McGonagall's deadline so . . . I guess I'll find out then._

She paused, her quill a couple inches away from the parchment, wondering what to write next. _I really do want to go. It sounds really exciting to go to a different school and see what the people are like there. Also, I've heard that they have a really cool library so maybe Rose and I can read for a while there. Anyways, I just wanted to tell you what was happening. I hope you are okay and I miss you lots. Al and James do too, but you know James. He tries to pretend he doesn't, but I know he really misses Dad. Love you, Mum. Love you, Dad._

 _Bye! -Lils._

Lily closed the letter and tied it onto the family owl. As the snowy, named Hedwig II after her father's former owl, flew off into the distance, Lily wondered what Durmstrang might be like.

The next day, Hedwig II returned at breakfast, carrying a letter and a small package. She landed in front of Lily, who removed her owl's burdens, then the owl helped herself to a bit of Lily's toast. Lily tore open the letter first.

 _Dear Lily,_ wrote her mother. Lily recognized her mother's curvy handwriting. _We are so happy that your first year has been enjoyable. Much better than my first year, I must say. We are excited for you and hope that you get to go to Durmstrang and participate. Send Albus and James our love and now your father wants to write._

 _Hi, Lils._ Lily saw that the handwriting had now changed, to a straight and rather thin stroke. _I hope you get chosen as well and have fun there. I have never been but your Aunt Hermione knows a lot about it, so maybe you could ask her. It sounds like an amazing opportunity. Tells the boys that we love them and miss them also, and we'll see you over the summer._

 _Love, Mum and Dad._

Lily now turned her attention onto the package and unwrapped it. Out fell a box and another note.

 _Dear Lily, this is a pocket sneakoscope. It lights up, and will spin and buzz when someone untrustworthy is around. I have also bewitched it to be more reliable than usual, so if you go, keep it with you. It's small enough to fit it your pocket, hence the name. I know things there have changed but keep it with you all the same. Love, Dad._

Lily smiled. Her father was always very protective of her. She pulled the sneakoscope out of the box and put it in her pocket, glancing at her watch as she did so, and left for class a few minutes later.

Lily nervously walked downstairs to the Great Hall. Today was the day. The day she'd find out whether or not she was going to Durmstrang. As she sat down at the Gryffindor Table, between Albus and Rose, she looked around. Instead of the usual chatter at breakfast, it was rather quiet. Some people were whispering and every few seconds someone would glance up at the Staff Table, waiting for Professor McGonagall to announce the competitors.

At last, the moment of truth finally arrived. As Professor McGonagall stood up and walked to the platform, everybody turned their attention onto her.

"Now, as I'm sure you are all very excited to hear the names of the chosen students, we will begin. I will announce in order of the years. First-years are as follows, Archer Vane from Hufflepuff," a cheer exploded from the Hufflepuff table, "Barry Corner from Slytherin," a cheer erupted from the Slytherin table, "and Lily Potter from Gryffindor."

Albus and Rose both grabbed Lily in a bone-crushing hug and yelled 'congratulations' in her ears.

"I'm going! I get to go to Durmstrang! I get make potions!" Lily yelled, both giddy and nervous. After Lily had been congratulated by James and the rest of her cousins, they all turned their attention back to their headmistress. Professor McGonagall was continuing to read the names of the students who would be attending. At the announcement of the third-year students, the extended Weasley family held their breath, waiting for Rose's name to be called, but sadly, two Ravenclaw twins and a girl from Slytherin were chosen. Albus insisted it was because Professor Slughorn was the head of Slytherin, but as plenty of Ravenclaw's, Hufflepuff's, and Gryffindor's were chosen, that excuse didn't hold up. After the rest of the competitors were named, and Professor McGonagall told them to visit Slughorn for answers to any questions they might have, classes began.

All during that day, Lily couldn't pay attention to anything her teachers said. All she could think about was going to Durmstrang. She couldn't wait for Potions class so that she could ask Professor Slughorn some questions.

When Lily arrived at Potions class, she bounded into her usual seat and waited impatiently for Professor Slughorn to enter. At last, he came, preceded by his extremely large belly, and Lily immediately lifted her hand.

"Good afternoon, kids. Ah, of course, Lily, m'dear. You have some questions, I assume," he said, looking at one of his favorite students. Professor Slughorn had always been kind to her and always bragged about her grandmother to her and how talented she had been. Lily straightened in her seat.

"Yes, sir. Please, um, what type of potions should I study and when do we leave? Oh, and are you going to come with us? And should I - " Lily said in a flurry.

"Now, now, my dear girl, calm down," Slughorn admonished, though not sternly.

"Sorry, sir," Lily apologized, looking down at her desk, slightly embarrassed.

"No need to apologize, m'dear. I am glad you are so excited. Now, I believe that a good study of your current potion books would be sufficient, but if you felt the need, it wouldn't hurt to study the second year's books or maybe borrow some books from the library," he said with a sly wink. Lily smiled.

"You will leave in five day's time and Professor McGonagall and myself will accompany you. Now, are there any other questions?" Professor Slughorn asked.

"Yes, sir," said Barry Corner who was in the class also. "I was wondering if we should study any type of potions in particular?"

"I think that as long as you have a basic knowledge of everything in your books and perhaps some extra information from the library, you will be perfectly able to contend with those students from Durmstrang," replied Slughorn.

As nobody else had other questions, the class officially began. Today, they were working on the Forgetfulness Potion, a potion that can make someone forget the last hour or year of their lives, depending on the severity and strength of the potion.

As soon as classes and dinner were over, Lily bolted up to the owlery to send another letter to her parents.

 _Dear Mum and Dad, I get to go! I am so excited! I feel bad for Rose though, because she really wanted to go too, but she got beaten out by a girl in Slytherin (she's not even that great, she just has a famous mother) and twin boys from Ravenclaw. They're wicked smart and everything, but I wish Rose had gotten in instead. Professor Slughorn is going with us and we'll leave in five days. I can't wait. I'll send you a letter when I get there. Love, Lily._

As soon as Hedwig II flew away into the night, Lily ran to the library and checked out every book on Potions that she thought she would be able to decipher. She spent the next three hours in the common room reading until James literally dragged her to the door of her dormitory. She did the same thing for the next four days.

"Now, is everybody ready?" asked Professor McGonagall on the fifth day. Twenty-one students stood in front of her, three from each year. They would be traveling by Floo, all of the luggage having been sent on earlier that day. Thankfully, all of the children had traveled by Floo before, and so knew what to do. Professor McGonagall went first, disappearing in an explosion of green flames. Barry Corner went next, followed by Archer Vane, and then Lily.

"Durmstrang Institute," she yelled when she stepped into the fireplace. When she arrived, she jumped out, brushed off her cloak, and stood next to Barry and Archer, waiting for the rest of students and Professor Slughorn to arrive.

After thirty minutes of waiting, seeing green flames, and watching people climb out of the fireplace, everybody made their way out of the room. The room they had left was bare and undecorated, but the hall outside it was the complete opposite. The hall was decorated in banners and tapestries, displaying intricate designs of blood red and black, Durmstrang's school colors, and the double-headed eagle, Durmstrang's crest. As she passed, Lily peeked out a window, and saw beautiful lakes and mountains.

"Professor, why haven't we seen anybody yet?" asked Archer Vane, who was at the front of the crowd with Lily and Barry Corner.

"Students are in class and Headmaster Kostov said to greet him in the Eating Hall," Professor McGonagall replied, pursing her lips slightly, obviously not pleased with the lack of welcoming gestures.

A few seconds later, the twenty-one children and two adults were let in to the Eating Hall by two stone gargoyles who looked very much like the ones at Hogwarts. It was easily just as large as the Great Hall, but instead of four long house tables, there were eight slightly smaller tables. Professor McGonagall approached the Staff Table, where a man leaned against it.

"Headmaster Kostov, how nice to see you again," Professor McGonagall said.

"Headmistress McGonagall, it is nice to see you again as well," greeted Kostov. His voice was gravelly and he had a very short haircut and a mustache. The headmaster and headmistress had a short, quiet exchange and then Kostov slightly approached the children. When he did, Lily noticed something whirring in her robe pocket. The sneakoscope.

"Hello, young ones. This," he gestured to the nearest table, "will be the table you share with your fellow competitors. And," he added to Professor McGonagall, "you and Professor Slughorn will have designated seating at the staff table."

"That sounds acceptable," Professor McGonagall replied. Kostov smiled and nodded.

"Allow me to accompany you to your resting areas," he said. As he walked to the front of the group and led them out of the hall, Lily thought. She contemplated telling Professor McGonagall now about the spinning object in her pocket, but realized that might be a bit hasty, considering that the supposedly suspicious man was only a few feet away from her and her fellow students.

"I will leave you now." Kostov gave Professor McGonagall a short bow then left them, having led them into another large room where twenty-one sleeping bags lay on the floor. The students' luggage and pets sat in a corner of the room and all the children went immediately to them, opening their pets' baskets or cages and choosing sleeping bags. All except Lily, that is.

"Um, Professor?" Lily asked, hesitantly.

"Yes, Miss Potter?" Professor McGonagall turned to her.

"Um, well, here," Lily replied, taking the sneakoscope out of her pocket and holding it out for her headmistress to see.

"Yes, I see. What about it?" Professor McGonagall asked tiredly.

"Well, see, when I got close to Headmaster Kostov it started whirring and vibrating in my pocket."

"I see," Professor McGonagall said again. "You do know that those things can be easily tricked."

"Yes, I know but the thing is, my dad made sure it was really reliable, and bewitched it so it's more reliable than normal sneakoscopes. Don't you think we might ought to check him out?" Lily said. She knew it had worked. Her father, the famous Harry Potter, was not only known for fighting and defeating Voldemort multiple times, but he was also known for being one of the world's most accomplished aurors, if not the best.

"Well," began Professor McGonagall, looking aggravated, although Lily knew it wasn't aimed at her. It was aimed at their host, the headmaster of Durmstrang, who was supposed to be a good man, better than the last one anyways, who had been a Death Eater.

"Well, I suppose I will talk with Professor Slughorn. Meanwhile, I want you to study for the competition. Kostov is supposed to tell us the schedule of events tonight at dinner and I want you all to be prepared." She spoke the last sentence loudly, and all the students turned to look at her.

"We are not here for sightseeing," Professor McGonagall continued, "and I want you all to make Hogwarts proud."

Whether Professor McGonagall confronted Kostov or not, Lily never found out because she delved into her studies with a newfound passion. The words 'make Hogwarts proud' had stuck with her and she wanted to do just that. All her time, apart from meals, was spent pouring over a potions book. She even borrowed a couple books from third-years and fourth-years.

Only one day after they arrived at Durmstrang, the first night of competition occurred. Two battles happened that night; one between the three Hogwarts first-years and the other between the three Durmstrang first-years. The winner of those two would then compete against each other, nearer the end of the competition. Lily won the Hogwarts battle and a small boy, who everybody called Tufty, won from Durmstrang. Lily was giddy with excitement and as soon as the night was through, she had sent a letter to her parents, telling them of the day's events. She decided to leave the incident with the sneakoscope out however, mainly because she didn't want her father to worry about her, which she knew he would.

After another few days had passed though, Lily's curiosity got the better of her, and she approached Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, Miss Potter?" she asked, looking up from the papers she was grading.

"I was just - you know - wondering whether or not, you might've talked to Headmaster Kostov about why my sneakoscope was buzzing?" Lily asked, hesitantly.

"Yes, I did. Apparently, he had had a cursed artifact in his pocket. He had confiscated it from a student earlier that day. Nothing of any importance," Professor McGonagall replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She turned her attention back to her papers, and Lily strode back to her small study area, slightly disappointed that nothing exciting had happened.

"Are you sure he was telling the truth?" Lily asked quickly, rushing back to Professor McGonagall's desk.

"Yes, I am, Miss Potter," replied the professor, obviously slightly irritated at the repetitive interruption. "Now, continue with your studying or please yourself with something other than loud conversation."

Finally the day arrived. Lily was about to face Tufty, the small Durmstrang boy, in the competition. Lily was nervous, but she was also confident in herself. She didn't know what would be required, but they had been told to look at the back of their books for certain recipes that could possibly be the focus of the final battle between the first-years.

"Now, today," began Professor Slughorn, "you will be making the Draught of Living Death. Now, we understand that it is highly advanced, but whoever makes it best will win."

Lily fought hard and by the time Slughorn's odd hourglass had emptied into the bottom, she was sweating and her face was red. She felt that she had done reasonably well, and according to Professor Slughorn, her potion would have made even her grandmother fall down in shock. Lily was embarrassed, and when she was declared the winner, she made sure to be kind to Tufty. The following days proved exciting as well, for as the level of students advanced, so did the competition and talent.

A week after Lily had won, Hogwarts students had been named the winners of the first-year, second-year, fifth-year, and seventh-year potions competitions. Durmstrang students won the third-year, fourth-year, and sixth-year competitions. Each winner had received a silver medal on which was engraved the words, **Winner of the Interschool Potions Competition** , and then their year, name, and school.

After returning to Hogwarts and her brothers, and shortly afterward, home to her parents for the summer, she thought back often on her experience at Durmstrang and the time leading up to it. How exciting it had been and how hard she had worked. How she had won and made her school proud. How she had wanted to participate so badly and ended up winning. She always treasured that medal because to her, it signified, not accomplishment or talent, but hard work and confidence.


End file.
